Method of purifying water.



No. 766,146. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904. W. M. JEWELL & W. .T. MOGEE.

METHOD OF PURIFYING WATER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 28. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

m AI UNITED STATES Patented July 26, 1934.

PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM M. JEI\" ELL, OF IVINNETKA, AND WILLFORD J. MoGEE, OFOAK PARK,ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES, AND OMAR H. J EWELL,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF PURIFYING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 766,146, dated July 26,1904.

Application filed January 26, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, IVILLIAu M. JEwELL, residing at \Vinnetka, and\VILLFOED J. Mo- (i-EE, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, citizens of the United States, have invented acertain new and useful Method of Purifying \Vater, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference be ing had to the accompanyingdrawings.

Our invention relates to the purification of water by removing therefrommineral salts, which render it unsuitable for domestic or commercialuse. For example, a water containing over forty grains of sodium sulfateor ten grains of sodium carbonate is very likely to cause foaming orpriming in a boiler, and waters containing soluble salts of calcium arehard and require softening before they are fit for use for manypurposes. Many expedients have heretofore been tried for removingobjectionable salts; but the results heretofore attained have not beenentirelysatisfactory for various reasons. One of the principalobjections to prior processes has been the soluble character of thereagent which it has been thought necessary to employ to precipitate orconvert the objectionable salt, the objection to the use of a solublereagent residing in the fact that it is impracticable by the use of asoluble reagent to insure against the retention in the water of agreater or less quantity of the reagent after the completion of theprocess, the result being that the Pul'lfIOfl water instead of beingpure differs from the un purified water only in the character of theimpurity contained in it. Moreover, according to some processesheretofore employed to correct the tendency of water to foam the reagentemployed being of a poisonous nature renders the water treated unfit foruse for drinking purposes.

The object of our invention is to provide an improved process which willnot be open to the objections incident to the use of a soluble reagent;and to this end our invention in its broadest aspect consists inemploying a substantially water-insoluble reagent and effecting achemical reaction between the im- Serial No. 140,584. (No specimens.)

purities carried in the water and such insoluble reagent to produceinsoluble compounds which may be removed by subsidence or filtration orboth. The natural salts found in water may be utilized in effecting thereaction where such salts are present in sufficient quantity; but anydeficiency may be made up by the introduction of soluble salts capableof reacting with one or more of the elements liberated by the insolublereagent to form insoluble or innocuous compounds.

More specifically our invention consists in effecting the reactionbetween the insoluble reagent introduced, as above stated, and thesoluble salts of the water by electrolysis.

Our invention further consists in introducing the insoluble reagent intothe water in powdered form and effecting its suspension and thoroughdissemination throughout the. water to be purified by maintaining acirculation or agitation of the water while the electrolytic action istaking place. The reagent which we have found secures the best result isbarium carbonate in the form of \vitherite, which is practically pureanhydrouscr \'stal line carbonate of barium. Ive wish it to beunderstood, however, that our invention is not restricted to the use ofwitheritc, as other equivalentsubstancesmaybeemployed. The reactioneffected by the introduction of witherite into a water containing sodiumsulfate and electrolyzing the solution is as follows: The sodium sulfateis decomposed, the sulfuric radical uniting with the barium to formbarium sulfate, which being insoluble is precipitated. The sodiumremains as sodium hydrate, carbonic-acid gas being liberated. Theformation of sodium hydrate would not result, however, in practice,since if the natural water did not contain sufficient chlorid of calciumor magnesium a quantity of calcium chlorid would be added, so that theliberation of the carbonic-acid gas above described would producecalcium or magnesium carbonate, leaving sodium chlorid in solution,which would not be objectionable for most commercial purposes. In watercontaining comparatively large amounts of calcium or magnesium foam, andin such instances only a partial softening could be effected. By ourprocess, however, the calcium would be precipitated as carbonate and thebarium as sulfate without any increase in the quantity of sodiumsulfate. Moreover, the sodium sulfate could be decomposed, the resultbeing that the water would not only be softened, but there would be noliability to foam.

Where the water contains an excessive amount of calcium or magnesiumchlorids, in

order to prevent the formation of barium chlorid and its appearance inthe filtered water a soluble sulfate, such as magnesium sulfate, wouldbe added in sufiicient quantity to react with any excess of barium.Where the water contains an excessive amount of sodium sulfate, asoluble chlorid whose carbonate is insoluble in water-such, for example,as cal* cium chlorid would be added either to the body of the waterunder treatment or subsequently to convert the sodium hydrate intochlorid, as hereinbefore described.

As examples of the efliciency of our improved process it may be statedthat with a water containing 11.14 grains of calcium sulfate per gallona current of one ampere for ninety minutes reduced the calcium sulfateto 2.09 grains per gallon, a reduction of 81.23 per cent. In anotherinstance in a water containing 25.95 grains of calcium sulfate pergallon a current of one ampere continued for five hours effected areduction of the calcium salt to 1.62 grains, a reduction of 93.33 percent. Corresponding reductions have also been effected with alkalinesulfates. For example, a solution of sodium sulfate containing 193.6grains per gallon treated with a current of seven amperes for onehundred minutes was reduced to twenty-nine grains per "gallona reductionof 85.02 per cent.

tion on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig.1.

Referring to the drawings, 5 indicates a tank over which extends a beam6, adapted to support parts of the apparatus.

7 indicates a vertical shaft suitably supported by the beam 6 andcarrying at its lower end a cross-bar 8, which is adapted to be rotatedin the tank over the liquid therein, as shown in Fig. 1. The cross-bar 8carries a number of depending arms which are also electrodes, beingalternately positive and neg: ative, the electrodes of one polaritybeing marked a and those of opposite polarity being marked 6. Said polesare preferably made of lead, owing to its being unaffected by sulfuricacid. Said electrodes project downto near the bottom of the tank, sothat when the cross-bar 8 is rotated they operate to agitate the liquidin the tank and effect the proper dissemination of the insoluble reagentthroughout the body of the liquid. The shaft 7 is rotated to effect therotation of the cross-bar 8 by means of any suitable mechanism, such asbeveled gears 9 10 and shaft 11, upon which the gear 10 is mounted, saidshaft being in turn driven by a belt 12.

13 indicates a dynamo or other suitable source of electricity, which isconnected by wires 14 15- to poles 1617, respectively, said poles beingin turn connected by brushes 18. 19 with disks 2O 21, respectively,through which connection is made with the different electrodes. Thedisks 2O 21 are mounted on the shaft 7 and are insulated therefrom andfrom each other, as shown in Fig. 2, the disk 20 being preferablymounted upon a downwardly-extending sleeve 22, carried by thedisk 20.The sleeve 22 is connected by a wire or other suitable connecting device23 with a metal strip 24, which is secured along one side of thecross-bar 8 and is insulated therefrom, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Thestrip 24 is connected with electrodes 7) by screws 25, which passthrough said strip into said electrodes, as shown in Fig. 4. Similarlythe disk 21 is connected by a connection 26 with a strip 27 at theopposite side of the bar 8, said strip 27 being connected by screws 28with the electrodes a. By making the bar 8 of non-conducting materialthe strips 24 and 27 may be secured directly thereto; otherwise theymust be insulated therefrom.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the cross-bar 8 maybe rotated continuously and that whether such cross-bar be rotating ornot the electric action will continue as long as the necessary currentis sup plied. It is immaterial which of the electrodes at or b is theanode and which the cathode, as that depends simply on the direction ofthe current.

In practice the reagent added is determined by the actual work to beaccomplished. An excess of the barium carbonate or commercial witheritein powdered form is placed in the tank and kept in suspension by therotation of the cross-bar 8. The suspended particles of barium carbonateare therefore adjacent to the electrodes and immediately combine withthe sulfuric oxid liberated at the cathodes. By having a large excess ofbarium carbonate in the tank there is no liability of the ionsreuniting. After the desired chemical reaction has been effected theagitator may be stopped and the precipitate allowed to settle in thesame tank, or, if desired, the water, with its suspended impurities, maybe withdrawn and allowed to subside in a separate receptacle, or it maybe filtered. e prefer, however, to remove the precipitate by subsidencein order to facilitate the recovery of the precipitates for furthertreatment.

That which we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. The method of purifying water which consists in employing a reagentsubstantially insoluble in the water to be treated adapted to react withthe impurity to be affected to produce an insoluble compound, andeffecting a chemical reaction between such reagent and the impurity tobe affected, substantially as described.

9.. The method of purifying water which consists in employing a reagentsubstantially insoluble in the water to be treated adapted to react withthe impurity to be affected to produce an insoluble compound, andeffecting by electrolysis a chemical reaction between such reagent andthe impurity to be affected, substantially as described.

3. The method of purifying water which consists in introducing thereintoa reagent substantially insoluble in the water to be treated adapted toreact with the impurity to be af-' fected to produce an insolublecompound, effecting a chemical reaction between such reagent and theimpurity to be affected, and introducing a soluble reagent adapted toreact upon elements liberated by the decomposition of such impurity,substantially as described.

a. The method of purifying water which consists in introducing thereintoa reagent substantially insoluble in the water to be treated adapted toreact with the impurity to be affected to produce an insoluble compound,effecting by electrolysis a chemical reaction between such reagent andthe impurity to be affected, and introducing a soluble reagent adaptedto react upon elements liberated by the decomposition of such impurity,substantially as described.

5. The method of purifying water which consists in introducingthereinto, in powdered form, a substantially water-insoluble reagentadapted to react with the impurity to be affected to produce aninsoluble compound, disseminating said reagent throughout the body ofwater to be treated, and clectrolyzing the mixture, substantially asdescribed.

6. The method of purifying water which consists in introducing thereintoa substantially water-insoluble salt of barium adapted to react with theimpurity to be affected to produce an insoluble compound, andelectrolyzing the mixture, substantially as described.

7. The method of purifying water which consists in introducing thereintoa barium carbonate, and electrolyzing the mixture, substantially asdescribed.

8. The method of purifying water which consists in introducing thereintoan insoluble salt of barium and a soluble reagent adapted to unite withthe'product of the reaction between said barium salt and the impurity tobe affected, and electrolyzing the mixture, substantially as described.

9. The method of purifying water which consists in introducing thereintobarium carbonate and a soluble reagent adapted to unite with the productof the reaction between said barium carbonate and the impurity to beaffected, and electrolyzing the mixture, substantially as described.

WVILLIAM M. JEWELL.

\VILLFORD J. MCGEE.

WVitnesses:

TIELEN M. COLLIN, JOHN L. J AOKSON

